


ITSOTNE: Oil Undertow

by phantomknights



Series: IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT, EMULSIFIED [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: CypressClan (Warriors), EucalyptusClan (Warriors), F/F, F/M, M/M, MarbleClan (Warriors), Multi, OliveClan (Warriors), Original Character(s), Original Clans (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22265533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomknights/pseuds/phantomknights
Summary: After many moons, the era of irregular warfare between the tyrant rogue Sequoia's group and CypressClan has finally met its end. Sick to death of seeing his clan terrorized, Badgerstar himself ventures into occupied Politeia territory to finish things himself. As he stands over the corpse of Sequoia, Badgerstar thinks he might finally be able to settle back into a normal life again, until he hears something shifting underneath the rubble...
Series: IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT, EMULSIFIED [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602766
Comments: 6
Kudos: 2





	1. ALLEGIANCES & MAP

** ALLEGIANCES **

* * *

**CYPRESSCLAN**

LEADER

**BADGERSTAR** ―short, stocky brown tom with amber eyes and no tail.

DEPUTY

**JACKTALON** ―mostly-white ginger tom with gray eyes and a long scar.

MEDICINE CAT

**LOONSNOW** ―smoky black-and-white she-cat with dark brown eyes

WARRIORS

**THISTLEHUSH** ―tall black-and-gray she-cat with gray eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, HALFPAW** **  
EAGLEFEATHER** ―big battle-scarred tom with brown-and-cream striped fur.  
 **APPRENTICE, FOGPAW  
** **PASQUEWING** ―gray-and-white she-cat with pale violet eyes.  
 **WILDBILLOW** ―mostly-ginger calico she-cat with one green and one amber eye.  
 **MUDRAIN** ―long-legged brown tabby tom with big ears and pale blue eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, CLOUDPAW  
MAGPIEFOOT―**small black-and-white tom with blue eyes and a fluffy tail. **  
SWEETMINT―** ginger tom with long ears and pale green eyes. **  
IRONPEAK―** sturdy gray tom with a short tail and a distinct muzzle scar. **  
RAVENSTORM―** big smoky black she-cat with long fur and caramel eyes. **  
**

APPRENTICES

**HALFPAW** ―tall white tom with a half-black face and yellow eyes. **  
FOGPAW** ―fluffy off-white she-cat with blue eyes.  
 **CLOUDPAW** ―bluish-gray tom with yellow eyes and a long white tail.

QUEENS

**SAGEPATCH** ―tortoiseshell she-cat with messy fur and amber eyes.  
 **KITS, SPRINGKIT**  
 **SHRIKEBLOSSOM** ―black, white, and dark ginger calico she-cat.  
 **KITS, DOEKIT, MOORKIT**  
 **NETTLEDROP** ―golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes.  
 **KITS, RUSTKIT  
KNAPFEATHER**―tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes.  
 **KITS, HONEYKIT, CINNAMONKIT  
SHORTSNAP**―small sandy she-cat with yellow eyes.  
 **KITS, WHISKERKIT, BURROWKIT, SILKKIT**

ELDERS  


**CRICKETCLAW** ―brown tabby tom with amber eyes.  
 **BELUGASHELL** ―white tom with blue eyes and a short, scarred tail.

**EUCALYPTUSCLAN**

LEADER

**SPIDERSTAR** ―silver-and-black tom with intricate markings and yellow eyes.

DEPUTY

**SWARMPATH** ―silver-and-black tom with intricate markings and blue eyes.

MEDICINE CAT  


**FLINTSPARK** ―dark grey tom with large white patches and caramel eyes.

WARRIORS

**EGGFOOT** ―big white tom with yellow eyes.  
 **POPPYGLOW** ―big, deaf, tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with one orange eye. **  
APPRENTICE, DARKPAW  
ROSEPOOL**―pale cream she-cat with very long legs and dark brown eyes.  
 **COYPUCLAW** ―dark brown tabby tom with messy fur and amber eyes.  
 **WOLFSTRIDE** ―heavy, well-muscled dark gray tom with brown eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, GLADEPAW**  
 **LYNXFANG** ―heavy, well-muscled brown she-cat with an orange face and amber eyes.  
 **LEMONSPLASH** ―light brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes and a crooked tail.  
 **CEDARCALL** ―red tabby tom with golden eyes.  
 **STAGLILY** ―tall, slender brown tom with hazel eyes.  
 **RAINCOVE** ―smoky gray she-cat with long fur and dark blue eyes.

APPRENTICES  


**DARKPAW** ―black she-cat with pale violet eyes.  
 **GLADEPAW** ―brown blue-eyed tom.

QUEENS  


**SALMONTOOTH** ―silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes.  
 **KITS, BEECHKIT, FLYKIT**  
 **STATICWHISKER** ―gray-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes.

ELDERS  


**DROUGHTBLOOM** ―black-and-tan tom with green eyes.  
  


**MARBLECLAN**

LEADER

**JAGGEDSTAR** ―gray tom with messy fur and blue eyes.

DEPUTY **  
**

**REEDNOSE** ―golden tom with vibrant green eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, EVENINGPAW**

MEDICINE CAT

**FALLOWPOOL** ―reddish-brown tom with soft fur and pale green eyes.

WARRIORS  


**SHEEPTOOTH** ―fuzzy off-white tom with amber eyes and a snaggletooth.  
 **APPRENTICE, PLUMPAW**  
 **STORMEARS** ―gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes.  
 **JACKALCLOUD** ―dark golden she-cat with black patches and brown eyes.  
 **SKINKLEG** ―brown-and-white speckled she-cat with brown eyes.  
 **MISTYBRINE** ―blue-gray tom with long fur and gray eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, ROOTPAW**  
 **THUNDERTIDE** ―brown tabby tom with yellow eyes.  
 **POPLARJAW** ―stocky, golden tabby tom with amber eyes.  
 **CRACKLESKY** ―dark gray-and-white she-cat with dusty green eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, PEARLPAW  
PETRELHOOK―**mostly-brown tabby she-cat with dark gray eyes.  
 **BUZZARD** ―black tom with green eyes.

APPRENTICES  


**EVENINGPAW** ―smoky black tom with yellow eyes.  
 **PEARLPAW** ―off-white she-cat with dappled fur and pale violet eyes.  
 **ROOTPAW** ―golden tabby she-cat with messy fur and brown eyes.  
 **PLUMPAW** ―smoky gray-and-white she-cat with brown eyes.

QUEENS  


**PALECLAW** ―off-white she-cat with tired yellow eyes.  
 **KITS, FIGKIT  
MOTHSMOKE**―pale brown tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes. **  
KITS, CREEKKIT, TIGERKIT**

ELDERS  


**STEPPEBITE** ―mostly-cream brown tom with amber eyes.  
 **LARCHHOLLOW** ―golden she-cat with dark honey-colored eyes.

**OLIVECLAN**

LEADER

**CICELYSTAR** ―old pointed she-cat with plum-colored markings and blue eyes.

DEPUTY

**DOVESHADOW** ―tortoiseshell she-cat with a beautifully patterned coat and red-orange eyes.

MEDICINE CATS  


**TURTLEHEART** ―calico she-cat with crooked ears and yellow eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, SPARROWPAW**  
 **APPLECLAW** ―pointed brown-and-tan tom with green eyes.

WARRIORS  


**FROGWHISPER** ―brown-and-ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes. **  
APPRENTICE, GULLPAW  
TANGERINENOSE―**small ginger tom with white patches and orange eyes. **  
WHALEFLOWER―** big dark gray pointed tom with blue eyes. **  
DUNLINTHROAT―** brown-and-white spotted tom with green eyes. **  
SANDSONG** ―pale brown she-cat with amber eyes.  
 **APPRENTICE, OCEANPAW**  
 **CARACALDROP** ―sandy brown she-cat with long legs and pale green eyes.  
 **GORSEFIN** ―gold-and-white tom with brown eyes and longer fur down his spine.  
 **ELMSCAR** ―black-and-brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a scarred neck.  
 **HAZEBACK** ―smoky golden tabby she-cat with pale yellow eyes.  
 **CROWSEED** ―dark gray she-cat with amber eyes.

APPRENTICES  


**SPARROWPAW** ―brown-and-ginger she-cat with cream markings and brown eyes.  
 **OCEANPAW** ―gray-blue tom with a dappled pelt and deep blue eyes.  
 **GULLPAW** ―gray-and-white she-cat with a black head and dark brown eyes.

QUEENS  


**SEALCLOUD** ―dappled light gray she-cat with amber eyes.  
 **KITS, CRANEKIT (FOSTERING FOR DOVESHADOW)**  
 **SPRATPOPPY** ―silver tabby she-cat with yellow eyes.  
 **KITS, LEOPARDKIT, SPIREKIT**

ELDERS  


**ASHENSTREAM** ―gray tabby tom with gray eyes.

** CATS OUTSIDE CLANS  
**

**SEQUOIA** ―black tom with half a face and one yellow eye.  
 **NIGHT (NIGHTKIT)** ―black she-cat with long, thick fur & yellow eyes.  
 **PONDER** ―golden tom with green eyes and a long tail.  
 **ORPHEAN** ―dusty gray-blue tom with a white belly and blue eyes.

* * *

 **MAPS**  
  
  
  
 **NEUTRAL TERRITORY  
** **1.** Moonpool **  
2.** Beast's Pool (Gathering place) **  
3.** Viper's Furl  
 **  
CYPRESSCLAN (GREEN)  
** **1.** Main camp **  
** **2.** Sub-camp East **  
3.** Sub-camp West **  
4.** Sub-camp North **  
5.** Entrance to Dittany Politeia grounds **  
6.** Cypress Line **  
7.** Phantom's Maw **  
8.** Little Brother **  
** **9.** The Vineyard **  
**

 **OLIVECLAN (MAUVE)  
** **1.** Main camp **  
** **2.** Forest edge sub-camp **  
3.** Hills sub-camp **  
4.** Expanse sub-camp **  
5.** Protea Grove **  
6.** The Expanse **  
7.** Windmillplace **  
**

 **EUCALYPTUSCLAN (BLUE)  
** **1.** Main camp **  
** **2.** Sub-camp One **  
3.** Sub-camp Two **  
4.** Sub-camp Three **  
5.** Big Sister **  
6.** Peatlands **  
7.** Horserun **  
**

 **MARBLECLAN (ORANGE)  
** **1.** Main camp **  
** **2.** Sub-camp Viper **  
3.** Sub-camp Leaf **  
4.** Sub-camp Agama **  
5.** Marblestar's Obelisk **  
6.** Petrified Forest  
 **7.** Seal Caves  
 **8.** Grove of the Founders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy... this is gonna be a long-term project. it follows the story of one of my warriors OCs in particular, and i'm pretty sure it will only have POVs within cypressclan (not 100% sure yet).
> 
> oil undertow is the first "book" of ITSOTNE, which itself is one of two halves of this story... hard to explain. for now, i'll just post the allegiances, which i might update if something isn't sitting quite right with me.
> 
> ITSOTNE is completely separate from warriors canon, with entirely new clans, territory, characters, lore, etc. warriors canon simply provides a framework for me to use.
> 
> will be updated with more tags as i go along.


	2. Prologue

“You’ll meet me here when this is dead and buried. Sub-camp East, or nearby.”

“Yes, sir.”

The burly chestnut-colored tom rumbles his affirmation; the ginger-and-white tom to his left softly grunts his own. They trail behind a third, smaller tomcat, who plods onward down the dirt path ahead of them. Hard rays of light cast by the early spring sun beat down upon the three cats, through the wide gaps in the trees that line the shore, making them squint as they go.

“We should get off the path and into the bushes.” The ginger tom meows in a hoarse tone. “Sequoia’s pack seems scattered now, but we’re easy for any stragglers to spot out here.”

“Oh, right. Good thinking.” The small brown tom flicks one of his crooked ears as he half-pauses in his tracks, diverting his feet off the trail as suggested, towards and into the crowded underbrush. “Jacktalon, Eaglefeather. Follow me around this tree.”

They follow wordlessly. The tense trio tread the grass in light steps, on their toes as if it burns their very paw pads to the touch, trying not to make a sound through the dull rustling of leaves and twigs as their adrenaline-pricked fur brushes by. After a solid moment of nothing but purposeful travel, the small tom comes to a slow halt behind a gnarled old oak, his amber eyes fixed somewhere in the distance, beyond the cover of the tree. Eaglefeather and Jacktalon fall in with him, carefully slowing and bringing their bellies low to the ground as they crouch on either side of their leader, their ears swiveling to catch any trace of an unwanted presence nearby.

“The burnt human den is up the hill there,” The small tom breathes, quiet so only his companions can hear him. “This is the last place anyone saw him.”

“Should we scout ahead?” Eaglefeather growls in a low voice, his muscles tense under scarred skin and fur as he remains perfectly still, apart from the slight movement of his mouth.

“No,” The smaller tom begins again. “No, I can smell him. He’s upwind, and he’s definitely up there. Sequoia, I mean.”

“Only him?” Jacktalon enquires cautiously as he raises his head to taste the air himself.

“Only him.” The small tom echoes. “But I don’t trust it. He knows that he’d be an obvious scent to pick out.”

“What are your orders, sir?”

The small brown tom turns his broad head up towards Eaglefeather, meeting the larger cat’s deep brown eyes with his own in a shared moment of concern. “Eaglefeather, you circle around on the left.” The small tom utters, and Eaglefeather nods his great scarred head, still standing at attention.

“Jacktalon, go around on the right. Both of you go slow and give the den a wide berth. You’re looking for any would-be ambush.”

The ginger tomcat snorts, brow and muzzle wrinkled in disgust, long scar over his maw twisting like a viper ready to strike as he sneers. “That stinking jackal would be one to do that, wouldn’t he? Springing a whole dens-worth of cats on you, when it should be one-on-one,”

Noticing Jacktalon’s claws slide out, sinking into the soft grass and cutting little gashes into the blades as he lightly trembles in rage, the smaller tom gently presses his head against his shoulder. Lacking a tail to brush against the ginger tom’s flank — the common way to express one’s sympathy — this was all he could do to attempt to ease his seething anger.

“Keep calm, Jacktalon…” The small tom rasps, tone easy and soothing. “It’s going to end today, right here, no matter what. You have to be calm and follow my orders. I don’t want to lose you to him, too.”

Jacktalon shudders as he exhales a hard sigh, attempting to expunge as much blind fury in his lungs as he could in that one breath. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” The little tom merely shakes his head as Jacktalon lightly bumps his shoulder against him. “Thank you, Badgerstar.”

“You don’t need to thank me, or apologize.” Badgerstar, the small tom, mews plainly in his usual flat tone, still keeping quiet. “I share your anger, as does Eaglefeather.”

Eaglefeather nods, taking a short pace forward to brush his fan-like tail on Jacktalon’s side. The three exchange brief glances, expressions soft with their shared camaraderie, but equally nervous as well.

“What will you do?” Eaglefeather queries, looking at Badgerstar.

“When either of you hit the halfway point around the hill, tap on the ground twice.” Badgerstar meows. “I’ll be holding my ear to the ground, so you don’t have to stomp loud enough to alert anyone that might be lurking around nearby. When you hit that point, continue around until you meet at the back, but I’ll be going in myself.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jacktalon and Eaglefeather grumble in unison, a hint of detectable shared dread between them.

“I know.” Badgerstar states solemnly. “I know, but this is how it has to be... Go now, both of you.”

On his word, the two toms slink away into the undergrowth, silent as their faint rustling fades and they begin to circle around out of range. Badgerstar stands alone at the back of the towering oak, whose tender leaves flutter and shake loose in a cold gust of wind from the sea at Badgerstar’s back; in the distance, where the sound of the waves lulling against the sand and stones is still faintly audible to his sensitive ears.

 _It ends now,_ he thinks, anxious as the adrenaline begins to flow freely again through his veins. _Right now. He’s right here. It’s over. It’s over…_

Before he lowers his head as promised, he sees what looks like a flash of light fur in the corner of his eye, weaving through the bushes. Badgerstar tenses and turns his head immediately; claws unsheathed and pupils a contracted slit like a slight cut in the deep amber of his irises. The sea breeze rustles the leaves once more for a charged moment, until the slender beaks of two egrets rise above the frayed edge of the brush line. They swivel their heads on their long necks, analyzing Badgerstar with one beady eye each before taking off in a few flaps of their elegant, snowy wings, their croaking alarm calls fading away gently as they fly off towards the ocean.

Badgerstar sighs, apprehensive as he slowly turns away from the disturbance and back to his planned course of action. _Egrets, this far out from shore_ … He thinks to himself again, trying to shake the moment of panic out of his brain entirely. _I could’ve sworn I saw a ghost._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. the "jack" in jacktalon's name comes from a species of fish called the crevalle jack.
> 
> 2\. shore cats don't share the same lexicon as warrior cats in the canon books. in the prologue, you'll notice that they refer to humans as "humans" and not "twolegs". i'll be leaving a note any time there's a difference like this in a given chapter, including the next one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange kitten is discovered.

Everything the eye can see is cinder and ash.

Nauseating puffs of it are kicked up by the feet of larger cats all around, screeching in hackle-raising fury as they rip at each other’s fur with their hooked claws. Blood is spattered over the charred ground, soaking and mixing in with the ashes to form grimy droplets, dappling the open expanse like spots on the pelt of a massive, filthy lynx.

Hardly visible among the fracas, a little black kitten darts around like a terrified moth sent hurtling through the wind, trying to avoid being trampled to death as she desperately seeks shelter from the caterwauling and the thick, suffocating scent of blood and burnt earth. The distant sun, the only thing visible in the sky through the heavy trails of smoke, hangs high and out of reach. It casts a weak, sickly glow that illuminates next to nothing on the ground below, providing no help in navigating the low-hanging clouds of cinder dust and throngs of snarling cats.

The kit chokes and hacks as her eyes water, both from the sting of ash and the hopeless fear of finding no way out. Just as her legs are about to give in and she crumples to the ground in a heap, waiting to be trampled, she trips and tumbles forward. She’s rolling like a loose pebble for a few moments as she feels her body hit a slope, heading down under the earth into a shallow cave. The kit lands with a light _thud_ into the layer of soft, cool silt that covers the earth here. Little clouds of charred dust puff out of her black fur on impact. Bewildered, she opens her yellow eyes wide as she gets to her feet and looks around, standing with a noticeable wobble in her knees. The air under the ground is still and there is no scent; far enough away from the chaos to avoid the constant assault of dust and claws, but close enough to still see the shifting waves of fighting cats, their muted yowls still perceptible to the little kitten.

Instinctively seeking shelter, she crowds up in the closest divot in the dirt wall, squeezing in as much of her body as she can to try and hide from the outside. Not knowing what else to do, physically safe but feeling utterly destitute and alone, she starts to close her watering eyes as she lays her head down on the soft ground.

“What’s a little girl like you doing down here?”

An unfamiliar voice projects itself from the yawning darkness of the cave, echoing flatly against the spongy dirt walls. The kit lifts her head sluggishly, shivering in fear as she looks back. The fuzzy form of a pale-furred cat makes its way into view. The kit watches the strange cat’s broad head slide out through the dark, slipping through the shadows as a fish parts water. From the scent, she can tell the stranger is another she-cat, but nothing else.

“Are you lost, little one?” She mews softly in a tone of voice that sounds aged and weathered. The kit only continues to stare, wide-eyed and shivering. The stranger’s hazel-brown eyes simply observe her, rather plainly and unrevealing in contrast to her concerned tone of voice. The kit is too shaken and sore to try and assess anything beyond her lingering rush of adrenaline and utter exhaustion, both sensations hijacking her brain and body entirely.

The stranger lays down, curling her wide body around the kitten gently. Her long, billowy tail winds around with her, almost engulfing the small kit with the sheer volume of hoary fur. “Don’t worry,” The stranger purrs comfortingly.

“You’re safe down here. There’s nobody here but me.”

Though the warmth of the adult cat’s body provides much-needed comfort to the kit, she still shivers.

When the off-white cat draws a heavy paw forward to pull her closer, a bright light flashes from the center of the silty cave floor where the kit is staring, engulfing her vision until she can see nothing but white.

As the sudden blinding light dims, her eyes slowly open and relax. She realizes she’d been dreaming, asleep under a pile of charred wooden planks and debris from a wrecked human den, encasing her so completely in darkness that she almost feels buried by it.

She’d been haphazardly ushered into the small makeshift cave what must have been hours ago. She felt too weak and exhausted to give it much thought, or attempt to move and seek a way out. With nothing else to be done, as usual, she again rests her head onto the ground with a sigh and lets her eyes begin to close once more, wondering if she’ll have the same dream again.

Then, just as quickly as she was roused from slumber moments prior, the light floods back in, making her still-opened eyes squeeze shut with a wince.

With a powerful heft from something outside, the wreckage of burnt wood in front of her is shoved to the side and into a crumbled pile, enough to create a new entrance. Another stranger — a short brown tom this time — is the source. Standing over the wood, his entire body shakes as he pants from exertion. When he turns his head in her direction, she sees that he is absolutely filthy; dirt and grass mingling with mussed up fur and, she notices a moment later, a concerning amount of fresh blood.

“Oh,” It escapes his mouth in a rattled breath. “Oh, my God,” He rasps, voice harsh and dehydrated, dried out like the untouched peak of a sea rock. His amber eyes, wide and rounded out, are entirely fixed on her small form. “A kit. It’s just a kit.”

The little black kitten only looks at him, mostly expressionless apart from a tinge of worry over the sight of him. Her tiny muzzle scrunches up from the harsh, coppery tang of blood now flowing into her nostrils as he draws closer.

“Did he put you here?” He wheezes quietly, attempting to sound as unthreatening as possible through his labored, shuddering breaths and cracking voice. Again, she only stares at him.

“Did he?”

The black kit blinks.

The tom has a look on his face that she can’t place.

“Kit,” He begins. “Can you… can you speak?”

She meets his gaze with her big yellow eyes; the only part of her that’s reliably visible as her dark fur melds seamlessly into the shade of the wreckage. She cocks her head to the side slightly, hearing his words but not understanding what he means.

The bloodied tomcat’s wide face contorts in horror.

“Oh, StarClan,” He sighs, unnerved. “What has he done this time?”

She’s confused as he steps closer in a rush, glancing over his shoulder as he does so. “I have to get you out of here,” he turns back to look at her, placing a stocky foreleg behind her back to gently usher her out of the small cavern of debris. “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

She nods her head, getting to her feet slowly as she’s jostled by his paw. Once standing, though wobbly, she tries to walk forward a couple steps towards the exit; however, her legs give out almost immediately and she falls to the ground, causing the tom to gasp in shock as he now notices the jutting ridge of her spine through her skin, through her thick fur. “You’re nothing but bones! What on earth did he do to you!?”

The kit only lays there, listless, not even attempting to look back at him. She then feels his teeth gently lifting her up by the scruff, feeling an instinctive wave of calm wash over her as she’s carried out. The strange tom’s feet tread the ground beneath in urgent, heavy steps as he hauls out of the area with the kit, away from the burnt human den, plunging into the woods. All of the strange, distinctive scents of the forest are new and unfamiliar to her. The kit is nearly overwhelmed by it all at once.

“Can you say anything?” He meows through her fur, slightly muffled.

“Your name?”

The kit perks up slightly, at attention, her ears flicking. She tries to rasp something, but her hardly-used voice is as hoarse and weak as the rest of her. Despite that, the tom urges her on. “Say that again?”

“Night.” Her croaking, tiny mew is still so faint that he almost misses it through the rustle of underbrush, as he all but crashes through it in a hurry like a bat into the night. “Night. Night.”

“Night.” He echoes, still muffled. “Your name is Night?”

She nods her little head enough for him to notice before going slack in his jaws. A breath escapes the tom’s nose in apparent relief. Night feels herself begin to drift off into a doze again as he makes a turn around a large oak tree, and then another, now escaping the brush onto a dirt pathway that he follows along the edge. The tom continues to mumble, she thinks, but the last thing she can hear him say for certain is: “My name is Badgerstar.”

* * *

“You want me to help you do _what?_ ”

Further away from the wrecked human den, Badgerstar has reached the end of the dirt path, close to Sub-camp East. Still bloodied — no doubt an absolutely horrible sight to any sane cat — and carrying a suspicious kitten, he can only think of two cats he would want to run into right now. With every cat in CypressClan on edge and still having no idea as to his & Sequoia’s fates, he feels very fortunate that he’s encountered one of these two at the end of the path; his mate, Wildbillow.

“Badger?”

He flicks his eyes up to look at her as she lightly places a black forepaw on his head, as if to check his temperature. Her brow furrows in complete confusion with a hint of fear.

“You look like you’ve just had a dance with the wrong end of a bear—"

“Please keep quiet,” he meows urgently through the bundle of black fur in his mouth. Seeing that he’s going to have to explain further, he places Night at his feet very gently, as not to wake her from sleep. “You can tell my brother about all of this if you want — I will when I next see him, if you don’t — but you’re the only one that can help me with… this.”

He gestures to Night, asleep on the ground.

Wildbillow gives the kit a sad glance, noticing her malnourished frame, then directs her odd-colored eyes back to Badgerstar again, wide with question.

“Where did you find her?”

“At the ruined human den, where everything was burned.” He starts. “She was just… sleeping under the wreck. When everything was done with Sequoia, I thought I was hearing things, but I dug through the den and saw there was a kit in there, crying…”

Wildbillow frowns. “Did Sequoia put her there?”

“I don’t know. Probably.” Badgerstar sighs. “The Politeia are weird enough, but I don’t think any of them would have kept a half-starved kitten in a place like that.”

He looks up and exchanges an equally perturbed look with the calico, who listens in earnest, but clearly has more questions than she has time to find the answers for.

Badgerstar hangs his head for a moment, feeling bad for throwing all of this onto her while so much is going on, before Wildbillow repeats her earlier question.

“What do you need my help with exactly, Badger?”

He looks up at her again, eyes enlarged for a moment before sinking back into their more sullen, tired, natural shape.

“She needs to be fed and given water as soon as possible… she must at least be a few moons old, but she doesn’t weigh much more than a kitten two moons younger.” As if on instinct, he moves a foreleg around to further shield Night, taking the time to notice her small frame in comparison to his splayed paw. “We have to get her back to the main camp and into the queen’s den, but you know how everyone is right now. Better than I probably do, that’s for sure…”

“The whole clan is walking on pine needles.” Wildbillow adds. “You’re right to be cautious about bringing her into camp, especially near any of the queens. Even if she _is_ just a kit...”

The calico, looking at Night again, takes a moment to chew on a thought.

“I can take her back for you. Maybe make it look like she’s an orphaned Politeia kitten, parents killed by one of Sequoia’s rogues… um,”

“What is it?” Badgerstar asks curiously, noticing the shift in her tone.

Wildbillow looks over each of her shoulders very deliberately, making sure no other cat is listening before she leans close to Badgerstar’s face and continues in a whisper. “Do you… think she’s his?”

Badgerstar lowers his voice in turn. “Sequoia’s?”

“His kit. She… does look a bit like him.” She mews. “Was there a mother around?”

“I saw no sign of a mother.” Badgerstar breathes. “As for Sequoia, even her eyes are the same as his. I don’t want to say for certain, but…”

“Oh, no…” Wildbillow looks at the sleeping kit nervously. “That’s gonna make this lie a little harder to pull off than before.”

Badgerstar sighs and shakes his head.

Wildbillow stretches out one of her forepaws again to place it on his head, attempting to assuage his worried mind. “Doesn’t mean I won’t try, though.” She grins at him when he turns his eyes up to look at her. “She’ll get taken care of no matter what, even if I get clawed by a few puffed up queens for it, I promise.”

Badgerstar gives her a tired smile before they nuzzle their heads together affectionately, and he gives a broken purr, allowing himself to relax thanks to Wildbillow’s warm presence.

“What about you, though?” She asks when she pulls away to look at him again.

“Is all of that Sequoia’s blood, or…?”

“Some of it is mine... He took one of my lives before I could kill him.” He looks away for a moment as he says it, wondering when he’ll find the time to mull it over later. Wildbillow looks at him with a mixed expression, surprised and morose and sympathetic all at once. She gives the messy fur on his head a few worried licks.

He continues. “So, the wounds healed over; you don’t have to worry about me, so just worry about the kit. I’m going to wash myself off and see if I can find Eaglefeather and Jacktalon. I told them to regroup around here.”

Wildbillow gives him a nod before she reaches her head down, gently plucking Night from the ground with her teeth. When Badgerstar returns her nod, she flicks her tail in acknowledgment and takes off into the woods; southward, in the direction of CypressClan’s main camp.

Once she’s out of sight, Badgerstar feels his back legs become weak as he collapses into an unsteady, hunched sitting position. His heavy head hangs like a too-heavy fruit as he exhales dramatically, as if the rest of his remaining lives are exiting his body through his trembling jaws. He stays like this for a few long moments, chewing on all the thoughts in his head through the rustling of the leaves in the wind and the distant, muted sound of waves crashing onto the shore from down the path he’d come from. A wide, fleecy cloud drifts in front of the late afternoon sun, big and low in the sky, submerging half of the visible shoreline into a calming pool of chilled, hushed shadow.

As he jostles himself out of his brief moment of respite, on the way to the nearest body of water to wash the drying blood from his fur, he realizes that he forgot to tell Wildbillow that Night doesn’t seem to know how to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've had this written for months, but only got around to posting it now for... no reason, seemingly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wildbillow returns to CypressClan's main camp with the strange kitten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> illustrations will be added later... i've had this written for ages now & the only reason i haven't posted was due to the art. so i'll just add it in post.

Treading lightly through the grassy tunnel, Wildbillow is engulfed by the thick scent of anxiety hanging in the air, only increasing in intensity the nearer she draws to camp. The calico sighs through her nose, careful not to disturb the frail, sleeping kit she carries in her jaws. _Thank goodness nobody’s around_ ,

At least, there wasn’t supposed to be anyone around. Wildbillow nearly trips over a small black-and-white tom that intercepts her just in front of the main entrance. Sputtering, she digs her heels in as she’s forced into an abrupt stop, pulling a few grass blades out of the ground in the process. The obstructive cat in front of her stands half-bristled, looking at her with glaring blue eyes.

“Watch it!” She hisses through Night’s fur, irritated but still trying to keep her voice down.

“Wildbillow!” The short tom barks. He opens his mouth as if to continue a thought, but his jaw slacks as his eyes are drawn to the bundle of sleeping black fur. “Wait, whose kit is that? What’s going on?”

“None of your business, Magpiefoot.” Wildbillow snorts, readjusting herself as she slinks around him and continues down the main entrance path at a brisk pace. He quickly follows after her, his fluffy tail held high and puffed out at the tip.

“I know that’s not yours.” Magpiefoot continues, trying his best to keep up with the longer-legged she-cat who is clearly trying to lose him. “And she smells weird, too. What are you doing with that kit?”

Wildbillow ignores him, breaking through the grassy tunnel as it opens up into the main clearing. She keeps up her steady pace as she walks below the pair of thin cypress trees marking the right side of the entrance, standing tall like sentinels as their spring-tender leaves undulate in the breeze. She mindfully hops up onto the tree stump situated close by, leading up to the second level of camp and the entrance to the medicine den that sits nestled just above it.

“Hey!” Magpiefoot yowls, planting his feet on the ground below the stump as he runs up behind Wildbillow. The agitated calico jumps up to the second level with minimal effort, paws hitting the grass with a light _thud_. Her tail tip twitches irritably.

“Are you gonna answer me!?” The bicolor tom behind her continues to press. “You’re being really suspicious!”

Wildbillow’s tail lashes aggressively as she whirls around, glaring down at Magpiefoot. Both cats bristle equally as they face each other.

“ _Do I look like I can talk to you right now?”_ Wildbillow hisses again, her muzzle creasing in anger and words muffled through Night, who still miraculously remains asleep despite the racket. Wildbillow realizes instantly that that’s likely only due to how weak and malnourished she is, which in turn only makes her irritation with Magpiefoot increase.

Magpiefoot makes as if to say something again; the scrappy tom opening his little mouth like he’s ready to start arguing for real, when both are interrupted by a third party leaping in from between the cypress trees and landing audibly on heavy paws onto the grass beside the stump.

“Oh, my little birdy!” The third party, a ginger tom, exclaims loudly, conveniently drowning out anything that Magpiefoot must have blurted. “There you are.”

Magpiefoot jolts as his head whips around, wide blue eyes making contact with the long-eared ginger tom. “Sweetmint!!” He yaps, sputtering.

“You’re supposed to be heading off to Viper’s Furl with me, y’know.” The larger tom meows, working his long-furred body in-between the two quarreling cats, pushing on Magpiefoot a little in the process. “Mudrain said we have to go get Ravenstorm and the rest of ‘em.”

“My sister is fine.” Magpiefoot states bluntly, unsuccessfully trying to maneuver his small head around Sweetmint’s thick fur and wider body. He attempts to keep his eyes on Wildbillow, who simply stands and watches apprehensively. “Look, Wildbillow’s—”

“Shush.” Sweetmint raises a foreleg and herds Magpiefoot around, trying to pull him away. “Mudrain told me Badgerstar’s coming back soon. Won’t you help me get everyone together so we can listen to what he has to say?”

“Wait, he’s back!?” Magpiefoot goes wide-eyed, attention ripped away from Wildbillow completely now as he looks directly at Sweetmint. The ginger tom only nods sagely, instantly causing Magpiefoot to spin around and start taking off back through the grassy tunnel. “Come on then!!”

“Right behind you, birdy.” Sweetmint meows after him. Before taking off running himself, Sweetmint turns his head back towards Wildbillow, giving her an easy smile and a wink of one of his sleepy green eyes. The she-cat’s shoulders relax as she exhales, nodding a quick _thanks_ to the ginger tom before turning back around on her way, into the medicine den.

Wildbillow dips her head before she presses in through the hanging clusters of rosemary at the entrance, making sure Night isn’t disturbed too much by the thin leaves brushing over her fur. When she’s mostly inside, she lifts her head slightly and looks around. The stone walls cast a cool shade onto the otherwise bare den, diluting the fresh moss bedding that lines the back wall into a soft shade of sea green. Noticing that nobody else seems to be present in the main room, Wildbillow makes her way over to one of the moss beds in the corner, leaning over and gently placing Night down there.

“Loonsnow?” Wildbillow inquires into the dampened silence, looking around as a crease forms on her brow. Her worries are assuaged by the sound of shuffling from the smaller den nearby.

“I hear you.” A soft-voiced meow comes from the other side of the wall. The square head of a smoky black she-cat brushes through the separating barrier of rosemary from her den into the main room. She lifts her head calmly, looking up at Wildbillow as the calico’s mouth curves in a worried frown.

“Can you help me? Please?”

Loonsnow’s eyes drift over in the direction of Night, still asleep on the moss.

“She’s so frail.” Wildbillow continues, not bothering to give Loonsnow any context. “I don’t know what to do…”

One of Loonsnow’s short ears flicks; the she-cat’s face sticks to its natural state of unreadable stoicism as she surveys the kit and the calico in front of her. The medicine cat pads over towards Night, dark head hovering over the kit’s small black form. After a few moments of assessment, she nods her head and blinks slowly, as if the sleeping kit below just shared inaudible words with her.

“You can start by bringing some prey from the pile.” Loonsnow meows calmly.

Wildbillow blinks. “Wait, really?”

“Yes.” The medicine cat’s wide tail twists slowly on the ground in thought. “She seems about three moons old. Kits at this age need to be eating fresh prey.”

“Oh. I thought…” Wildbillow starts to trail off on another thought, but snaps herself out of it quickly. “Nevermind. I’ll be right back, then.”

Wildbillow is back in the den almost as soon as she left it, carrying a willow warbler in her jaws that she sets down in front of Night. The kit has begun to rouse in the meantime, after Loonsnow’s careful prodding, and seems to wake up more when she catches the scent of prey. Night grabs the bird with a surprisingly quick claw hook, immediately tucking in, to Wildbillow’s relief. There’s a moment of silence that floats on the cool air of Loonsnow’s den as the breeze outside rustles in through the rosemary.

“I’m wondering if I should ask you where you found this kit.” Loonsnow says quietly. Wildbillow’s shoulders jump, spooked by the black she-cat’s low voice breaking the quiet.

“Um.” The calico starts. “Well. I don’t know. I think one of the Politeia cats—”

Loonsnow brushes her tail on Wildbillow’s flank, causing her to pause her thought mid-sentence. “I’m joking, Wildbillow. It doesn’t matter to me where she came from.”

“Oh.” Wildbillow breathes, feeling a little confused.

Loonsnow’s brown eyes are aimed towards Night, but her gaze is fixed somewhere beyond the kit, through the moss and stone she lays on. “I’m only thankful that you’ve brought me a starving kit. Today, I was expecting to receive much worse...”

Wildbillow sobers at her words. “That makes sense.”

She takes a moment to pause and think.

“I met with Badgerstar before this, and he wasn’t wounded. I’m assuming that means no other cat who went with him was seriously hurt either.”

“Wasn’t wounded, even though…” Loonsnow trails off, head dipping down. She blinks when she absorbs whatever thought she was chewing on. “Okay. I see. I know what that means.”

Wildbillow gives Loonsnow a concerned look.

“He lost a life?” The smoky she-cat asks, not turning her head to look at who she’s questioning.

The calico frowns again, sighing through her nose. “…Yeah.” Her odd-colored eyes flick to the side. “He really is fine though, otherwise. Just filthy and exhausted, I think.”

“Of course.” Loonsnow breathes. Wildbillow sympathetically brushes her tail over the other she-cat’s back, though Loonsnow’s tone of voice remains plain and lacking affect. The medicine cat accepts it and blinks slowly again. “I’ve been thinking it’s time for me to take on an apprentice.”

“Even though you’re so young?” Wildbillow turns wide-eyed to look at her, not expecting the normally private, sullen healer to share a thought like that.

“This whole… war, we’re in.” Loonsnow pauses. “ _Were_ in, I suppose. I was only granted luck by having my old mentor there with me for the larger half of it.”

Loonsnow’s brow wrinkles as emotion begins to seep into her expression, stirred by memories. “Asterthroat.” Wildbillow meows the name softly, otherwise staying quiet as she listens intently.

“He was a great mentor...” Loonsnow sighs. Her dark fur is rustled by the strands of another low breeze slipping through the den. Dapples of her pelt are lit by a faint orange glow from the late-day sun that sinks outside. “He saved this Clan. Ever since he was killed, I’ve struggled to handle this level of calamity on my own. I should have taken an apprentice sooner. I’m not sure why I didn’t.”

Wildbillow scoots over, pressing her shoulder against Loonsnow’s. “You can’t get hard on yourself for something you didn’t do in the past… You did what you could through all of that chaos, and we made it out okay, you know?” Loonsnow sighs again, otherwise still. “You saved CypressClan too, Loonsnow. You’re a great cat, just like Asterthroat was.” She smiles, eyes creased. “He’d be more than proud of you.”

“Thank you…” The black she-cat turns to look up at her. “Hearing you say that is reassuring.”

“Don’t thank me.” Wildbillow smiles back, once again giving a sympathetic brush of her tail. “I’m very certain that all of CypressClan feel this way. We’re all here to help you like you’re here to help us, so you know who to go to if you feel overwhelmed like that again, okay?”

Loonsnow smiles again at the calico beside her. “Yes, I do... I’ll be sure to remember that for next time.”

By now Night has finished the bird she was eating, not leaving behind much but small bones and feathers. Her eyelids droop heavily as she starts to nod off back into sleep.

“Is she okay?” Wildbillow asks, taking notice.

Loonsnow nods. “For now, she’s fine. She’s very frail, but not so far-gone that she can’t recover. As long as she’s fed and watered sufficiently for a while, she’ll turn back into a normal, healthy kit.”

“Thank goodness.” Wildbillow breathes, relieved, though another concern still makes itself known through her green and amber eyes. “Is she just gonna stay in here? She doesn’t, you know… need milk? Or a mother to be with?”

“No, no.” The smoky she-cat shakes her head. “It wouldn’t hurt, but this kit is old enough to not need that anymore.”

Wildbillow responds with a thoughtful _mm_ , going back to looking at Night as Loonsnow rises to her paws, proceeding to tidy up the main den. After a few minutes, the medicine cat’s ears flick and her sturdy head is raised towards the entrance. She pads over, poking her head through the rosemary as Wildbillow curiously looks after her.

“What is it?”

“More cats have been coming back.” Loonsnow observes. “I see Ravenstorm, Eaglefeather… Sub-camp cats.” She dips her head back inside the den, turning to Wildbillow. “Badgerstar will be back to speak soon, I assume.”

“Oh, yeah.” Wildbillow meows, remembering Sweetmint’s words. “I heard Sweetmint telling Magpiefoot that he’d be coming back to announce a meeting soon, but I thought he was just trying to get the little fleabag out of my fur… Guess it was both.”

The calico she-cat gets to her feet and paces toward the entrance, walking past Loonsnow. “Is it okay if she stays in here with you?”

When the medicine cat nods, Wildbillow nods back. “You can go out and see what’s going on. I can take care of things in here.”

Wildbillow smiles. “Thanks, Loonsnow. Sorry if I was a little dumb about the kit or anything.”

“You weren’t dumb. It’s fine.” The black cat’s big tail wraps around her paws where she sits. “Thank you, too.”

The calico slips out with another nod through the hanging rosemary as Loonsnow plainly watches her exit. The medicine cat blinks a few times, turning to observe Night, and then rising to her feet slowly. She slinks closer to the entrance, making sure the murmur and dull clamor of the cats gathering below is still audible to her through the calm air of her den, where the black kit sleeps soundly, too far for any outside noise to reach her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Badgerstar returns to speak to his clan, and Night is paid an unexpected visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> art will be added later once again this time. been very busy with comics and other art-related work...
> 
> also decided to stop titling chapters, since ao3's rigid chapter structure kind of makes navigating this story a little weird when each entry says something like "Chapter 4: Chapter Two" lol... that, and i didn't realize i could just leave it blank before now. i am a little slow.

Straggling clouds swirl in the twilight, cast in pink and purple as the sunlight caught between them plunges the forest into the thick, pale violet hue of coming darkness. Badgerstar’s bleary eyes tilt upward to watch them, feeling the clouds and sky meld together with each tired blink. He slowly closes them, drawing in a long breath before sighing through his nose. The cats of his clan swarmed below the grassy ledge he sat upon, buzzing and shuffling while throwing restless glances his way.

The lean-muscled deputy, Jacktalon, makes his way to his leader’s side with strong, purposeful steps. Badgerstar shares a routine look with the ginger tom, whose gray eyes shone back at him, stern as always. Jacktalon nods curtly before turning his head in the direction of the crowd below, approaching the outer rim of the ledge.

_Seems like mostly everyone is here…_ Badgerstar observes internally, worn out even in his own mind.

Jacktalon speaks up just as his thought ends.

“CypressClan!” The strong, emphatic voice of the clan deputy rang out through the clearing, like a forceful wind whipping through the trees. “Stand at attention! Your leader has returned!”

A steady tide of silence sweeps over the congregation, collectively ceasing their chatter to fix their eyes on the duo stood above them.

_I could hear a hamster scampering underground some tree-lengths if I focused hard enough._ Badgerstar thought of the dominating hush emanating from the cats below, appreciative of their intent focus but finding it just the slightest bit unnerving to have it all directed towards him, even after so many moons.

“I have no more precursory announcements,” Jacktalon continues, “so I now cede your attention to Badgerstar.”

As the taller tom dips his head and backs away, obscuring himself into the dimming violet shadow of the trees, Badgerstar rises to his heavy paws. He takes a few steps forward into the weakly pulsating light, closer to the ledge and the eyes of cats below. The short tom blinks and clears his throat, straightening his neck out in order to stand taller.

“This is not the end of another bitter day.” Badgerstar begins, his comparatively nasally voice not as powerful as his deputy’s, but still loud enough to be heard through the camp. “For the first time in a whale’s age, as the moon rises above our forest, we will finally be provided with a night of long-deserved peace.”

A few jubilant meows come forth from the crowd below as Badgerstar continues with his address. “As you all know, Sequoia’s group had been dwindling for the past half-moon. I received a report from the Politeia that he had been hiding alone around the burned human den near their grounds, so I took it upon myself to seek him out in your stead.”

Badgerstar pauses to catch his breath. After a few short murmurs and gasps, his clan falls silent again. “Jacktalon and Eaglefeather were with me,” he gave the two toms acknowledging glances, “I didn’t want to alert Sequoia with a large patrol. Many of you may think me foolish for not bringing more reinforcements, knowing Sequoia’s nature, but I couldn’t bear to put any more of you at risk…”

His eyes flicked to the side for just a moment as he paused.

“I was informed that there would be very few rogues around him, if any, so I seized the opportunity. In the end, the reward outweighed the risk, and I thank all of you for your bravery and sacrifice in the face of such a terror. CypressClan, as your humbled leader, I finally bring you good news…”

Badgerstar’s chest expands as he takes a slow breath. On exhale, his closed amber eyes reopen with conviction, fixed on all of his warriors.

“Sequoia is dead.”

The roars of CypressClan spring to life and dance all around like sparks of a powerful flame, once smothered by an oppressive brine. Cheers, sobs, laughter, and song intermingle all around Badgerstar, blending together into a unified, incomprehensible din as it continues on.

The small leader doesn’t move or emote, eyes drooping and mouth stiff, not noticing the clamor begin to fade as he slips back into the pool of his memories.

* * *

The charred grass crunches under every pawstep as Badgerstar marches past the outer perimeter of the burnt human den. The stale scent of old fire dulls his senses, but not enough to mask the presence of another entity, who the leader could tell was making no attempt to hide. Once realizing that he’s being watched, he comes to a rigid halt some fox-lengths before the den itself, planting his feet to offset any surprise attacks.

“You’ve wandered far from your sett, little Badger.”

Badgerstar’s head barely tilts up as his eyes fix on a slender black tomcat, laid lackadaisically on what once was the roof of the den. His long tail, draped off the edge, slithers around lazily; his short mane of black fur rustles in the slight breeze as he looks down at the CypressClan leader through narrowed yellow eye. He wears a slight smile, one eye creasing, while the scarred half of his head remains motionless.

Staring back into the dark, hollow socket where Sequoia’s other eye once was always unnerved Badgerstar, no matter how many times he and the raven-furred tomcat cross paths.

Sequoia blinks. “You have nothing to say to me?”

Badgerstar merely stares up at the other tom with a grim expression.

The black cat rises slowly to his feet, stepping leisurely down the wreckage with ease thanks to his long legs.

“Why are you alone.” The words leave Badgerstar’s mouth as more of an accusation than a question. Sequoia pauses his movement, blinking at him, before a crooked grin re-affixes itself to his scarred face.

“Why am I alone?” The black cat breathes. “Why am I alone, you’re asking? _You_ , of all the forest cats?” There’s a noticeable twitch of Sequoia’s lip before he chuckles darkly, not seeming terribly amused.

“ _Because you drove them all away!”_ Sequoia continues, hissing lowly. “To death or elsewhere, they’re all gone. All of the cats in my following, all that we’d obtained… And you _know_ that, Badger. _You_ did that.”

Badgerstar feels the gnarled roots of acute anxiety begin to twist together in the pit of his stomach, as his focus is fixed on the rogue before him, not daring to allow him out of sight for scarcely more than a blink.

“And you did all of this for what,” Sequoia’s glowing eye tightens in severity. “The Politeia? Their land? You don’t even like them, and they definitely don’t like you.”

Badgerstar scowls. “That doesn’t mean I’d allow you to ruin them. As leader of CypressClan—”

“You’re sworn to defend the Politeia by founding doctrine, yes, I’ve heard it before.” The black tom interrupts, clearly uninterested in the leader’s reasoning. Badgerstar only looks back at him, tight-lipped.

Sequoia pauses before taking a few steps out from the dusty shade of the wreckage, causing Badgerstar to tense and shift backwards instinctively. Still, the brown tomcat stands his ground, paws firmly anchored into the earth below.

“None of this would have happened, if you’d have just let me have their land from the start.” Sequoia is calm, but a few drops of venom can’t help but drip from his words. He lowers his head to peer at Badgerstar, on eye level.

“You could have had such a wonderful relationship, with _my_ Politeia.”

* * *

Badgerstar is snapped out of his thoughts by the considerate swat of a paw impacting the top of his head. His shoulders jump in surprise, wide eyes looking around, before finding Wildbillow stood before him.

“Are you okay?” The calico wears concern on her face. “You’ve just been sitting up here for the past few moments.”

“I…” Badgerstar blinks vacantly, before sighing and regaining his bearings. “Yeah. I’m fine. I was just lost in a thought, I guess.”

Wildbillow shrugs, looking down at the clearing. “Some cats down there were talking about of having a celebration sometime soon. Think you’ll wanna be involved in it? Considering you’re the one who actually killed him, and all...”

Badgerstar’s brow knots in thought. “Hm… Possibly…” He sighs again, this time more out of exhaustion than anything else. “Right now, I think I just need to rest for a while.”

The taller she-cat gives Badgerstar’s messy head fur a lick.

“I get that... You get some sleep. I’ll be joining Jacktalon’s patrol down along the OliveClan border, alright?”

Badgerstar nods, leaning up to nuzzle his mate before she takes off running down the slope. The brown tom shakes his head deliriously, rising to his feet, before taking the branching path upwards towards his den, weary and slow as he walks.

* * *

Nearby to the rancor, Night lay in the cool moss of Loonsnow’s den, eyes still closed and taut ribcage rising and falling slowly as she sleeps, apparently unaffected by the sound of cats outside. Loonsnow had long since left to join the throng in the clearing and still hadn’t returned, so the kit slept alone in the peace and relative quiet of the cool hollow.

So deep was her sleep that she remained completely unaware as two small faces peeked in at her through the cover of rosemary leaves.

“There’s something there,” One face— a brown kitten— says, his eyes squinting.

The owner of the other face— a taller calico kitten— simply takes a few strides inside until she can fully perceive the object of their intrigue.

“No, Honey!” Her companion gasps, eyes enlarging in fear.

The taller kitten smiles wide, looking in Night’s direction. “It’s a weird smelly kit!” She _mrow_ s, amused.

The brown kitten scampers in after her, looking behind him before looking at Night, apprehension making itself apparent all over his little face.

“We’re gonna get in trouble,” The male kitten meows again, to no avail as his cohort ignores him, getting nearer to the strange kit and crouching down in front of her, big ears pinned back as she observes.

Stirred by the scent and voices of the two kittens, Night’s bright yellow eyes lazily blink open. She appears unresponsive to the two strangers in front of her, apart from some confused, dazed wrinkling in the center of her brow.

“Hi.” The calico kit meows, smiling with her big green eyes.

Night blinks sluggishly.

“I’m Honeykit,” the intruder continues, unfluffed; she flicks one of her long ears in the direction of her skittish brown-furred companion, “and that scaredy-hen is Cinnamonkit. He’s my brother. What’s your name?

Night’s mouth parts very slightly, gaze flicking to Cinnamonkit and back to Honeykit again. Her head tilts over to one side as she responds with another lazy blink.

Honeykit mirrors her movement, cocking her own head to the side as well, maintaining eye contact with Night as her mouth creases in a mischievous grin. “You got fuzzies in your ears? What’s your name, weirdo?”

“Why are you being mean?” Cinnamonkit mews with genuine concern and a frown on his small muzzle.

Honeykit tilts her head back towards him, looking annoyed. “I’m just joking!” She contends. Cinnamonkit only raises an eyebrow at his sister.

When Night makes a small grunting noise, the calico kitten turns from her brother and focuses back on her.

“Huh?” Honeykit piques.

“…Night…” The black kitten grumbles, still very groggy.

“Goodnight? But the moon’s coming up!” Her calico inquisitor tilts an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you sleep at night. That’d make you even weirder.”

Night groans again, her eyes squeezing shut. “N… name,” she croaks with some difficulty, “Night…”

“Ohhh, that’s your _name_ …” Honeykit catches on, fortunately for the sleepy kitten she’s speaking to. Cinnamonkit sighs, still looking all around as if the walls could crumble in at any moment while his sister interviews the stranger.

“We should go before anyone notices,” the brown kit breathes, “they could finish down there whenever,”

Honeykit shrugs him off with another flick of one of her long ears. “You can go back to the den if you want.” she mews plainly, not looking at her brother as she addresses him. Cinnamonkit chuffs, but doesn’t move from where he stands.

“So, where’re you from? You smell funny.” Honeykit continues on despite Night’s closed eyes and relative motionlessness. “Also, what’re you doing in our camp?”

The black kitten’s eyes open slowly to half-lid once again, her brow continuing to knot up in disorientation. She tilts her head again, and Honeykit copies her. There’s a long pause.

“Hey,” Honeykit starts, “I asked—"

Both kits jump with a yip as the rosemary curtain flaps open, the stomping footsteps of an adult cat landing on the ground outside as their owner entered the den halfway.

The cat at the entrance, a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, sighs with an incredulous look forming on her long face.

“What are you little weasels doing in here?” The she-cat questions, tone exasperated but retaining a hint of warmth.

“Hi mom,” Honeykit meows, calmly looking back at her mother as Cinnamonkit immediately launches off towards her like a skittering lizard.

“It wasn’t my idea!” Cinnamonkit blurts, pressing himself up against one of her long legs.

Honeykit doesn’t seem nearly as bothered as her brother, continuing on like normal. “We found a weird kitten in here!”

“A weird kitten…” The tortoiseshell thinks aloud as she scans the room, spotting the black kit in the corner who now sported a pair of wider eyes. Exchanging a strange look, the adult she-cat merely tilts her head.

“Huh.” She pauses. “Well, that’s none of my business.” She cranes her neck towards her daughter, who stares with an expectation that she’ll find this kitten just as odd as she does. “And it’s none of yours either, Honeykit. Come here and leave her alone.”

“Aww, rats.” Honeykit meows disappointedly. Before scampering off, she turns back towards the other kitten with a smile. “I’ll come back and ask you some more stuff some other time, okay?”

Night only observes the family with an alien look of confusion, as if observing a new species, while they make their way out of the medicine den. Honeykit mews a _bye_ before vanishing behind the fluttering curtain of rosemary, submerging the den back into its previous silence, leaving the frail black kitten with no other choice than to once again drift back into restful slumber.


End file.
